Racing to Learn

Signing up to do a race can mean many things to many people.  Perhaps it was a goal that forced you to train for something, a deadline that dictated preparation.  More commonly, maybe it is just for fun.  (maybe thats the best reason).  A final test per say for the training or studying that you did.  Trying out new training ideas or nutrition concepts can be tested out.  Racing strategies can be implemented.  

I have always thought that most coaches and therapists should race or compete at something every now and then.  A reminder of the emotions and ideas that percolate.  Empathy.

The night before.  Worried about getting enough sleep.  Being annoyed if it doesn't work out that way.

Waking up feeling a little more nervous then a day of hard training would invoke.  Checking your watch frequently.  On time.  Working backwards from the start, warm up. bathroom, nutrition, breakfast or meal.  Feeling a little more on edge if something disrupts the pattern. 

The jitters at the start.  Trust your plan or go with pace.  Pace to slow or to fast?  A gap forms, do you go with it and risk blowing up.  Can you trust your training to match the attack, do you trust yourself.  Legs feel good, legs feel bad, does it matter?  Should it matter?  If you know your training is there, what do you believe?

Focus.  Don't let the mind wander.  Focus is a superpower.  Pay attention for gaps.  Pay attention to the pack.  The ebb and flow. Let the mind wander and gap formed before you can react and the energy cost of closing it is to much.  

Focus is so important I have been wondering if a supplement for improving focus is a performance enhancer.  Like most things, practice and experience is probably all that is needed.  I noticed significant improvement with making that my primary goal from race one to race two this summer.

The race becomes a teacher, a reminder, a test, and through it all, hopefully some fun was had.  

Framing Challenges and Threats for Better Health

 How we perceive a situation plays a larger role then what we sometimes consider.  We have always been told that a positive outlook is important, but why?

Why would how I look at a situation potentially dictate the outcome, if my actions remain the same?

These are important questions, for not only the patient/athlete but also the clinician/coach.  It is more then just bringing "positive thinking" to the situation.  It will also show the importance of the psyche of the  collective team or the trendy modern phrase "culture" of a group or organization.  How does challenge or threat effect our health?

Challenge or Threat?

When faced with a task or situation do we classify this as a challenge or a threat.  A challenge invokes a chance to learn, potential increase from the outcome,  and while hard either physically or mentally, we believe it will turn out well.  There is generally a sense of control.  

A threat is very similar but just perceived very differently.  A challenge will be high stress/excitement but will reside.  A challenge ends.  Exposure to these will make us better.  A threat has the physiological impact that lasts a long time.  Chronic load, weakens and undermines are health.  

<--THREAT--THREAT---Threat-Challenge--CHALLENGE---CHALLENGE--->

As you can see, there is a sliding scale.  Not everything is a massive threat or massive challenge.  There will always be a scale involved.  

Lets look at the physiology differences between the two and why they have such a different outcome on our health.

A challenge will stimulate something called the SAM pathway.  Sympathetic adrenal medullary.  SAM will have different hormone production depending on if its more a mental challenge or physical.  Mental tasks, will stimulate adrenaline.  This will cause an uptake of the brains use of glucose.  It will prompt the liver to produce glucose and will increase heart rate to drive more glucose to the brain.

A physical challenge will dictate more of the hormone noradrenaline.  This drives fatty acids into the blood stream so the muscles can use this for energy and uses an increase in blood pressure as the method of choice.

The primary driver for this is the neural system.  This allows for the SAM to be shut down very quickly.  The half life of released adrenaline and noradrenaline is 2 min.  This means it is fairly quickly out your system.  This is important.  

A threat is very different.  It will start with SAM and then go to what is called the Pituitary Adrenal Cortical system.  (PAC).  PAC rolls in around 20 min later.  Some big threats to our human psyche are social embarrassment, shame and biggest of all, a sense of loss of control.  

The PAC will ultimately cause the hormone corticotropin releasing hormone and cortisol to come into play.  The hypothalamus release the CRH, CRH ultimately causes cortisol to be released.  If the cortisol gets to high, receptors in the hypothalamus detect the high levels and stop CRH from being released.  Thus ending the cycle.  (Hopefully). 

If we continue to experience threats this keeps going.  

Cortisol will cause the release of fatty acids into the blood stream.  A source of fuel that the brain can not use.  It has a role in limiting inflammation.  It can play a role in breaking down protein, which will ultimately lead to muscle loss to secure enough glucose for brains fuel.   PAC and cortisol will be also involved when you diet or are in a fasted state.  

Cortisol will also dampen the effectiveness of insulin.  More and more insulin requirements can lead to Type 2 diabetes.  Long lasting cortisol can have some immune suppression and digestive issues. 

Not all is bad.  It's the dosage.  Low levels will cause some good things to happen including helping noradrenaline with brain arousal.  It can help with dopamine release to deal with the threat that started the PAC cycle.  The downside is that it can by a few physiological steps to get the amygdala to create anxiety and stress.  

Why have we evolved these cortisol receptors in the hypothalamus and brain?  Good question...the body is pretty cool.  Moderate levels of cortisol help to consolidate memories.  Thus we are learning what to do with a threat and how to cope.  Low levels and high levels do not trigger or help consolidate memories.  High levels,  essentially panic, do not do well with learning.  

Physical activity doesn't help with the threat that would usually would trigger the PAC pathway, but not doing physical activity has big downsides.  The body just released a bunch of fatty acids into your bloodstream.  If it stays there and isn't used in exercise it can contribute to plaque forming in the arteries.  Also, letting negative emotions linger can potentially cause the PAC pathway to keep running.  With a half life of 90 min, it is already lingering in a sense.  Remember the SAM pathway half life was 2 min.  This also gets worse the older we get.  

You can have SAM and PAC together.  Overall SAM increases heart rate or cardiac output.  PAC causes blood pressure elevation without the cardiac output.  Thus challenge can increase CO, but threats increase BP.

We know now that PAC arousal has been shown to increase tension and anxiety and puts you into a fear state quicker.  SAM arousal may enhance a positive or negative state.  This is crucial.  SAM pathway can be thought of an enhancer of what every cognitive state you bring to the situation.  

What are some takeaways we can implement?  

Exercise when you don't feel like it.  Exercise is SAM neutral, but can limit health risks that can accompany PAC.  Try to see activities as challenges.  Even if I fail, I learn.  Mindset.  Stop self focused behavior.  Essentially when we have a negative thought we create self focused thinking.  This interferes with learning and for performing tasks.  I recently watched Thug Rose win her UFC title belt fight.  Before the fight, you can hear her saying loud "I'm the best,"  over and over.  Creating positive emotion to a task at hand.  

These are essentially my notes for a few chapters of the book, "Building Resistance to Stress and Aging."

My Thoughts on Building Your Home Gym

 The last year saw a huge increase in the people starting a home gym.  As someone that owns a gym and also has a decent amount of home equipment, I thought I would go from a slightly different angle if I had to start from scratch.  

First, I'm writing for someone that wants to get strong, but not compete in the sport of powerlifting, olympic lifting or bodybuilding.  2nd, I'm writing for someone that doesn't have an unlimited budget, so choices will be made.  3rd, space is considered.  These are the 3 criterium.  If one of the three doesn't meet the filters you have for yourself then the list becomes less important.  

Right off the bat, lets get the elephant out of the room.  I am not going to list a barbell or a squat rack/power rack.  Here are my reasons.  I'm not enamored with barbell back squatting/front squatting or barbell deadlifting anymore.  I don't practice olympic lifting.  If you want to do these things, that is great, but just realize you don't need them to get strong and stay healthy.  In fact, if you want to stay healthy, I'd advise, the average person against them anyways.  If you want to invest in a high quality barbell that is an investment.  A good one will run a minimum of 300 dollars.  I'd go so far as to point you at Chris Duffins Kabuki Transformer bar at around 700 dollars for staying healthy and getting strong and its versatility.  If money was not a concern, I would consider it at the top of my list.   But if you get a barbell, you must get a squat/power rack.  Again, minimum 300 dollars.  (for the cheapest I can find).  Also, a squat rack takes up space.  Even the ones that fold flat into the wall.  It's still there.  A barbell often means you will most likely get a bench.  Even a bench from ACME will run you a 100 dollars.   Olympic lifting requires bumper plates.  Very expensive when comparing to metal.  But this isn't a list of why nots...lets get into what I would get.  

Trap Bar with High Handles.  With no moving parts, a trap bar is essentially a solid piece of metal.  Nothing fancy.  It combines the best of both worlds a squat and a deadlift.  Depending on the set up and shin angles, I can make the trap bar more "squatty" or more of a "deadlift."  With the center of mass at your sides instead of in front, technique is so much easier to learn.  This translates into less back injury risk.  I can teach someone good form in the trap bar in around 5 min.  You are constantly working on your technique for a convential/sumo deadlift and front/back squats.  Remember powerlifting is a sport.  Research has shown you can develop more power using a trap bar then a conventional barbell.  

The trap bar can also be used for Romanian deadlifts.  Bent over rows.  If you have room, farmers carries.  The handles make a nice handle for elevated push ups.  Jumping squats.  I've even put the end of the trap bar in a corner and did a slightly modified landmine press.  

Best of all it's like 130 dollars.  

Metal weight plates.  Actual weights are at a premium right now, but they can still be had.  While I love lifting with bumper plates, less jarring.  You can't beat the price of metal.  4x45, 2x25, 2x10 2x5 are what we are trying to get to.  Since most trap bars are 55 pounds.  This weight all loaded up would be 315.  Even if you have a 500lb deadlift.  315 pounds for reps will keep you significantly strong.  Remember, you can always add more weight as you go and or get stronger.  

Cost is significant right now at around 2 dollars a pound.  Precovid 50 scents a pound would be a standard for a craigslist of play it again sports.  These are the times.  

Heavy Bands.  Bands are some of the most versatile pieces of home equipment you can purchase.  Purchase from a reputable company like Rogue or EliteFTS.  I still have bands from EliteFTS from a decade ago.  I have baught cheaper bands that have broke with in a year.  These bands are 41" in length.  Get a 2" wide, 1.5" wide, a 1" wide and a 1/2" wide.  The number of different exercises you can do with bands are to numerous to list.  Bands also allow you to overload or add resistance to something like a trap bar if you can't find enough metal weight plates for your liking.  80 dollars.

Wooden Box.  A box that is 20x24x30" is pretty versatile.  Step ups of various heights.  Seated movements.  Bench.  Sled on carpet.  All kinds of body weight movements.  Can attach bands around it for leg variations.  If you can find a craftsman to build one for you, probably under 50 dollars.  Online about 120 dollars.  

PVC Pipes.  2 six foot poles can create an imaginative way to stretch or do mobility style movements.  You can attach bands to the PVC to recreate additional ways to lift.  10 dollars.

Foam Roller.  Outside of being able to roll out quads, calfs and upper back.  Can do some calf/hamstring exercises and ab exercises.  Can replace the ab wheel.  10 dollars.

Back Pack:  This becomes an easy way to add weight to body weight movements.  It can serve as a makeshift kettlebell with great results.  Can be used for Rucking.  Fill it with bags of sand or pea gravel.  Can easily make a bag from 10-60 pounds. 

BONUS:  This is more thoughts on cardio.  If you hate it, but know you need it, look for a fan bike.  Some deals on craigslist can still be had.  A brand new one runs 650 dollars.  A friend just sold an old one for 150.  It can be max effort work with no joint risk.  It can slow and steady.  Very versatile for the price.  Another option is to drop a few hundred buck for a bike trainer and use your own bike or buy a bike.  So you have a bike, but also have a way to use it inside.  Food for thought.   Running is free.  Stair sprints, hills sprints, free.  Jump rope, simple.  

The body doesn't understand the tool.  It understands force and load.  It can be a metal rusty weight, a bag of sand, an Olympic Standard Bumper plate, it all has the same effect when used well.  Even if you belong to a gym, it is always a good idea to have something around for the days when time is limited or you can't make a class.  Having 20 min can still do some great work.  Once you have your gym, you will realize what a great investment it is.   

 

The Value of Water

It is funny how questions can stir memories.  My daughter saw a picture of a lady carrying water on her head the other day.  She asked what she was doing.  I explained she had to walk several miles to get water for her day, perhaps she had to do this several times, every day.  The look of incomprehension, like I had just told her some people have wings.  Explaining the situation further, there was still disbelief.  Water is everywhere and its free.  

My first memory of water was drinking from the water hose during the summer after running around in the woods.  After just a few seconds, it would become the coldest water I have ever tasted.  Colder in my memory then even the fresh Icelandic water I drank from the rivers doing the bike race The RIFT.  

Every morning, I get up and put my glass on the fridge and filtered cold water spurts out.  It can give you ice as well.  We all probably have some sore of childhood "success"  ideas.  Something that represents success to you back then, that almost seems silly now.  "Riches"  This style fridge was another memory that the water brought back.  As a kid, I must have seen it and thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen.  I didn't own one or live in a place with one till the house I live in now.   But I can remember thinking this represented making it...lol 

Growing up with the ice cube trays and thinking about rationing the ice during the summer.  Later in life, filtering water in a water pitcher.  Now, it is simply there with the push of a button, endless supply.  In a way, the ease of use and supply has created a devaluing of this precious item.  

I think I have sometimes subconsciously packed less water on some longer bike rides on purpose.  To feel the thirst.  To have the thoughts of rationing the water.  To feel the dry mouth and desire for that next ice cold water.  The ordinary becoming extraordinary again.  

Most of us, will never need to worry about water.  If you are reading this, probably 100% true.  The thing is, we are still discovering things about water.  Ever hear of the fourth phase of water?  Gerald Pollocks work on this is fascinating.  E-Z water is its name, exclusion zone. 

Reading the book "Ghost Map" it was the first time science was used to solve the mystery of cholera.  Most sickness was thought to be from "miasma" or bad air.  Why well off/rich people chose to live on hills and why poor people lived in the lower ground.  An earlier book I read "The Mosquito"  talked about bad air and malaria being discovered through mosquitos.  Ghost map, shows the evolution of thought of bad air, to the confirmation of the cholera bacterium carried in contaminated water.  

This defining moment in the late 1800's showed the importance of clean water for health.  Clean water eliminates so much sickness and disease.  We are going on close to 150 years of realizing clean water is a keystone for health.  Yet, clean water is still lacking in many places.  It is estimated a few thousand young kids die every day from it's lack.  The numbers are so large, they lack impact anymore.  3.5 million a year.  2.2 million are kids.  Every year...every year....every year.  

Every morning now I say a small thank you when I push that glass into my fridge and get that clean filtered water.  It is one of the healthiest things we can do for our bodies.  Win the low hanging fruit battles for your health.   Don't let the easy get devalued.  

..................................................

One of the organizations I started supporting was Charity:water.  100% of funds goes to actual clean water projects.  Organizational fees/salaries are funded by donors.  This means the dollars you give go towards actual people without clean water.  

Worth while video watch of the Charity/Water.  The Spring:  Charity water story. 

The Secret to Solving Cramping...For Me

Cramping in the sporting world is a tricky subject.  There are several theories that never panned out.  Classic dehydration and the drink more water camp.  Electrolytes, drink my gatorade camp.  Muscles are tight, stretch more camp.  The inability to have proper neuromuscular coordination, ie...the fatigue camp.  There have been some interesting tests and studies done with ascetic acid.  For example, having a cramp in a laboratory setting and then placing ascetic acid under the tongue and the cramp goes away.  The subject does not even ingest the ascetic acid.

(Weirdly, as a life long cramper, I have always likedascetic acid foods.  Pickles, vinegar, mustard, kombucha)  Is this what they talk about when your body instinctually seeks what it it lacking?)

I've tried lots of products over the years, from salt tablets, hot shot and nothing ever really seemed to be the silver bullet.  Some would potentially stop the I can't move and I'm stuck on the side of hill for 15 minutes cramps, but when activity was reengaged, the camps would come back just as hard and just as debilitating.  

If you are someone that cramps, you know how even training for a race can feel self defeating.  If you are "in shape" but you know a cramp will probably be the limiting factor.  

Three years ago I started biking more.  I've been drawn to the endurance world, as much for the enjoyment of the bike as well as the ability to see training and physiology at work.  Not to mention, getting to explore far away nooks and crannies of your world.  

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I'm a big believer in the research of Dr. Stephen Seiler.  His polarized training approach consisting of 80-85% of your training is easy rides, with only 10 percent being hard interval style approach.  Stay away from the middle zone where no adaptations are occurring.  

Looking back on the training with anything in my past was always middle or high.  Nothing low and easy.  So I started just riding my bike easy and longer, a lot longer.  90 minute rides used to be tiring and feeling like I'm packing for an adventure to the wilderness.  Now 3 hour rides feel chill, let me grab a water bottle or two.  

It took a few years of this to notice changes.  But, eventually I did.  A few weeks ago I rode 60ish miles of mountain bike trails over 6 hours with almost 6k of elevation gain.  Something that even two years ago would have put my quads and calfs into a cramping vice.  (my normal biking for feeling cramps was 2 hours, 1 hour 30 min if I was racing) 

A few months ago, I discovered the work of Evan Peikon.  A scientist that specialize with oxygen usage in sport and athletics.  I will dumb down the key take aways that started to make sense of cramping ...for me.  I am what is considered an occluder.  My muscles and physiology occlude very well.  This means I respond to weight lifting very well.  I get less oxygen to my tissue, the pump comes faster and harder and the metabolic stress is high. My muscles grow.  I responded to weight lifting much quicker then my friends in high school.  I gravitated towards fast, power sports.  Sprints, football, rugby, bobsled.  The first time I pushed a bobsled, it felt natural.  The 4 seconds of work, followed by full recovery, was literally what my body was built to do.  I'm not sure how accurate the genetic profiling is, but the one I did years ago showed 72% fast twitch and 28% slow twitch.  No idea if this is viable information.  But,  it just confirmed what I knew at 10 years old.  My body didn't like sustained work.  

There are non occluders, people that muscles seem to just process the work load easier.  They have more oxygen to use, they don't pump up as much.  They get rid of the metabolic waste faster and more efficient.  They can lift for years, and you might not be able to tell, but put them on an aerobic machine and they can keep a sustained work load.  

Things started to click.  I can remember training a national champion mountain biker and doing some dumbell press.  20lb did 15 reps easy.  We bump to 25 and literally she gets burried.  Go back to the 20's and she proceeds to rep out 25 reps.  

Occluders vs Non Occluders.  This research was done with Moxy units and NIRS.  They show how at 60% workload produce drastic different results in different athletes, you can even have different bodyparts so you could have occlusion in your thighs, but not you calves.  If you stop to think about it, this is adaptation.  This is why you train.  

The long easy hours, the majority of the training according to Stephen Seiler is to produce a larger base.  Elite athletes don't do harder workouts as they get better, they do more easy volume.  This is all documented from running, cycling, xc skiing, and rowing.  

What is happening with this work?  Adaptations.  A larger heart, capable of pumping more blood per stroke.  Increased capillary density.  You grow more capillaries.  More blood vessels.  You are creating the ability to get more blood and oxygen to your tissue.  Your becoming a better non occluder.  

I once had a strength coach say, cramping was the lack of training for the event and situation you find yourself in.  That was it.  Pretty simple.  I believe it is true.  

I once heard a pro cyclist answer how do I get better at cycling, or what kind of training did he do to get to the level he was at.  He responded with perhaps one of the most brutal, but honest pro tips ever.  20 hours a week on the bike for ten years.  

I've spent about 450 hours of easy riding, longer rides etc. in the last 3 years to get to the point where I can confidently race a 2 hour ride and not cramp or go ride 5-6 hours of relaxed effort and still feel good.  (That is not even that much in the cycling world)  It was a long slow build up to this workload for me.  It was forced design to not do medium work.  The wasted zone.  But, I believe this is what it took to build up the adaptations needed to ride hard and not feel the dreaded muscular spasm.  

So, if you are a cramper, I don't have a shortcut for you or a magic supplement to take, I do offer an N=1 roadmap.  Take a few years and see if it works for you.  I believe it will.  The body is a remarkable adaptable organism.  We just have to give it the right signals, hour after hour, week after week.  

Why Is Sport Important?

"Nature had spontaneously thrown up rare freaks-precisely the mechanism that Darwin had proposed as an evolution's first step.  Darwin had called the variant "sports," implying a streak of capricious whimsy in the natural world.  De Vries chose a more serious-sounding word.  He called them mutants-from the Latin word for "change."

From THE GENE

It is a strange time we find ourselves currently in.  The coronavirus pandemic.  Lives have been lost, lives will be lost, jobs have been lost, jobs will be lost.  Politicians and media, continue to ramp up their confusion and fear,  looking for ways to gain advantage over each other, looks for ways to gain advantage over us.

It seems almost frivolous to talk about sport.  Almost seems, ugly.

But, for a second, forget the idea of what comes to mind when you think of it.  Forget the million dollar contracts, forget the athlete complaining about their money, forget the price of the tickets, forget the price of a beer, forget the travel, forget the cost, forget the business of sport.

Remember the sport.  Remember the feeling of lacing up your shoes.  Remember the huddle.  Remember the voices.  Remember the exhaustion.  Remember the pain of losing.  Remember the joy of winning.  Remember the aha moment, when you figured it out.  The first time you hit a ball, the first time you cleared the hurdle, beat a time, beat the rival, made the climb.  Remember the first time you decided to stay until you could do it, and did it.

Kids turn everything into a game.  How fast did I do it in?  Make it harder.  Race me.  Everything from learning is through play.  Play is sport.  It drives development.  We have within us some form of need to feel and see improvement.  We love to see,  five seconds faster up the hill, five more reps, five more pounds on the bar.  Kids will be excited when they climb higher in the tree, a first cartwheel, biked up the hill finally, or figured out how to jump rope.

We are born with a need for tribes.  Define your tribe.  Family, church, gym, profession, school, team....
We dress the part, so people know.  So we feel a part of, instead of apart from.  That is sport.

Sport at it's heart has always shown us the possibilities of us.  If you ever watched MJ or Steph and then went and shot baskets, knowing you could never be "that" but you could get better.  That is sport.

If you ever watched Ritz, Mebb or Alyson race and run and then went and laced up your shoes, knowing you will never be that fast, but you can get better.  That is sport.

If you know your Fran time, because you know what the best in the world do.   That is sport.

My dad was watching an old football game from the late 70's, reshown on Classic ESPN.  Two major rivals that at the time, the two best college football teams in American.  He was watching them, because during this time, there was nothing else on.  He told me he turned it off.  They were so small and slow, the play was so unimaginative.  He said it's not even the same sport.  He spoke the truth.

Kids were watching the football in the 70's were awestruck by the skill and athleticism they saw.  Those kids became the football starts of the 80's and they inspired the kids of the 90's.  Those kids inspired the kids of the 00's and so on and so on.  The game changed, because the kids changed.  The kids changed, because they knew they could.

People find comfort in sports.  It brings them together.  For no other reason, perhaps it gives you an excuse to stop by and say hi while you watch a bit of a game.  It gives a reason to meet up with friends and family.  To show up and cheer on a family member or friend.

To forget the connection from sport to us, is to suspend the jump from present to future.  Who is going to show us the "oh man how did he do that."  Where will get the crazy comebacks.  When will we have the "she's insane" moments.  How will we get the friend updates about finishing a race or event that seems crazy.

Those things matter, because they seep into our thoughts streams.  They let us know, a one handed catch is possible, they let us know a human can run 2:05 marathon, a human can bike 350 miles, a human can race 100 miles, you can be on the verge of defeat and claw your way back.  Those things do shape us.

Sports at it's spirit drives change.  Change is needed for growth.  Without growth, there is decay.  A slow decay, is decay none the less.  So, remember sport, why you first felt what you did way back then.  Lace up your shoes, clip onto your bike,  grab the clubs, grab the racket, grab the glove.  Climb the tree, then climb it faster.  Learn a new move, practice until it hurts.  Practice until it doesn't.

Change.

Virus Season: Have a Plan

Last October, I got sick with the apparent flu for the first time I could remember.  Knocked me out cold for 3 plus days.  Losing 14lbs and wondering about the history of the flu. What preventative measures has been learned about Influenza aka the Flu.

I came across a guy named Dr. Alex Vasquez, among others, that has really shaped my views and some of my current "best" practices.  With the current world wide coronavirus or Covid-19 scare, now is good time to write down what I think is a game plan.

First order, control what you can, try not to worry about the rest.

Understand that contracting a virus has Five steps.  These five steps can be influenced.

1.  Acquisition:  Exposure, Penetration.  Penetration is often ignored.  (no drug exists to influence         this process.) This is metabolism and nutrition.

2.  Replication.  It will start to grow exponentially from my understanding. 

3.  Immunity: immune response at the cellular level.  This is your body mounting an attack.  

4.  Systemic Consequences:   Cellular and systemic consequences. (cell support)  What does the virus do to you.  

5.  Resolution.  This is self directed.  Homeostasis.  You are hopefully all better.  

Knowing the 4 steps that leads to the 5th, or resolution, you can do your best to address each one.  

1.  Barrier defense,  sanitation and neutralize particles.  The number one best practical solution is hand washing with soap.  Why soap?  Soap has the ability to break the cell membrane of the virus, it basically then spills out and ceases to be.  This takes time though, hence the 20 seconds.  If soap isn't available, there needs to be an alcohol solution of 60% or greater.  

Cover all sneezes and coughs in your elbow.  A sneeze has the ability to travel.  The smaller version of Covid 19 can cover up to 30 feet.  The larger one, 7.  The flu particles can linger in the air up to 8 minutes.  I have not heard about the coronavirus.  I'd assume similar.  

2.  Inhibition of replication.  This will be a nutritional step.  As I will write later.  Nutrition isn't a drug that targets one thing.  Solid nutrition will have carryover effects on many of the steps.  

3.  Immune response.  Optimize immune response and remain balanced.  It takes energy, nutrients and hydration to mount a strong response and fight an infection.  

4.  Protection and recuperation.  Need to protect Mitochondria.  Mitochondria play a key role in modulating viral replication.  They are also damaged by viral infections.  So it's a negative feedback loop when it isn't addressed. 

These are the supplements that seem to have some really good research.  I highlighted in bold the ones I think are the most important.  

NAC.  N-acetyl Cysteine.  This is the supplemental form of cysteine.  1200-1800 for prevention.  2g-4800 grams if you are fighting something.  There are some really great research on this supplement in preventing and fighting a virus.

Basic minerals for enhancement of the NAC

Glycine 3-9 grams  ( I take this in the form of collagen)

Glutamine  6-27 grams

Selenium  200-800 mpg  (perhaps just eat a few brazil nuts)

Riboflavin  50-400mg

Niacin  50-1500mg

Magnesium  600mg

coq10  50-300

Vitamin D   4000plus

Vitamin A.  use cautiously and for short time, as this can become toxic.

Zinc  25-50 mg day for limited time  ( a limited time because this requires copper )

Melatonin  3-6mg 

Whey  10-30 grams. 

Vitamin C  2-5 grams

Mushrooms also have some really interesting research behind them.  Reis

hi,  Chaga, Turkey Tail.  All can be immune modulators.  Paul Stamets has written the book on bringing this back to the public.  It is something I think can be a huge part of the prevention strategy.

I recently came across a study that showed children that drank more green tea then their classmates were less likely to get influenza.  

One of the big differences between influenza and coronavirus is the incubation period.  It apparently seems the flu is 1-2 days.  Coronavirus is 5-7.  This in itself is a big problem.  Covid 19 doesn't seem to pose a big risk for kids.  The hardest hit seem to be elderly that are fighting something like cardiovascular disease or diabetes.  

So far, this is what I've been doing and what I have found out.  Hope this helps bring some more clarity to your own game plan.